I WAS a regular commuter while studying in Southampton, England.  Now that I am working in Kuala Lumpur I use a RapidKL bus from Damansara Utama to MidValley.

Making comparisons of my experience while a student and now a paid employee, I have came to realise we can achieve a world class public transport system if the body in charge puts its heart and mind to the task.

Not many of us are aware of the existence of Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd a company under the Finance Ministry. It is in charge of putting the public transport infrastructure in place from the bus depots to providing the buses for RapidKL which is a mere operator. The funding for the purchase of the buses and light trains comes from Prasarana.

I raised the issue of poor quality buses with a driver who told me Prasarana had bought poor quality China-made buses since 2005 and that spare parts were not available. 

I recently visited Prasarana’s office in Bangsar to lodge a complaint and found it to be a posh office.

In contrast, the RapidKL bus depot in Petaling Jaya is in poor condition. I would like to recommend that the prime minister make unscheduled visits to RapidKL bus depots to see the deplorable office space and working areas for drivers and mechanics.

Prasarana’s managers should take time off  from their posh office and do the same.

RapidKL needs new buses and cleaner work places for its employees. The Public Accounts Committee should also monitor how Prasarana is spending its money.

Source: The Sun – October 8, 2009